Can I have multiple real estate agents?

Question

my place has been on the mkt for 4 months now. I dont know if its just the mkt but my agent has not brought in any prospective buyers yet. Ive had 2 people see the place but only by my efforts. just 2 calls checking up on me or an update. dont get me wrong shes a very nice lady but maybe I need to go with someone with a more aggressive marketing plan for my place. not sure what to do. thinking about letting her go and pay the $450 fee, or just let the contract run out. now my real question is if I hire another agent from a different agency, what are the consequences and obligations the first agent has assuming the house sells and she is still on contract. or Can I switch agents and the new agent sells the place and not have any obligations to the first. maybe Im being repetitive. please help!

Answer 1

I don't believe the second agent will represent you knowing there is a first still active. Something called ethics. Let the contract run it course. Some time we have to help our selves,I know you said you are willing to paying her, but if it will get your house sold can it hurt? call your lender to get a modification to lower your payments while the house is up for sale. If you find your self feeling pushed against the wall start researching short sales, transfer deeds,NACA.com, FHA has new loan to help lower payments,and if you make a payment every 89 days it forces a foreclosure to start over. Time is on your side for now. What ever decision you make good luck.

Answer 2

for the last few years "bozo the clown" could have been a successful agent. curent times you need an agent that can sell  !!

Answer 3

You have signed a contract with this real estate agent so you really need to hold out.  If it's a 6 month contract then you don't have much longer.  Does this Realtor multi-list?  If she does then all of the Realtors in your area have access to your home and can show it so changing Realtors might not make any difference.  Yes, the market is slow right now and you might just have to be patient.  Also, look at your house through a buyer's eyes.  Does it need painted?  Is the price too high?  Is it cluttered?  See if there's anything you can do to make it more appealing.  Two things I have heard that might help:  One is that buyers expect a house they are buying to be cleaner than their own homes and two is don't have family photographs on display.  When a buyer sees the family photographs then they picture the house as yours and it's harder for them to see the house as theirs.  I understand that you have to actually have people come and look at the house for either of these to help and you haven't had much traffic.  Ask the agent if your house is being advertised and ask her to do an open house.

Answer 4

Read the contract to make sure that the agent will not also try to collect a commission on the sale of the house. I saw one as a buyer that said if I was to buy a house using a different agent within the contract period I would be responsible for paying her 3% commission even if she was not the one who found the house for me!!!! I'd say ride out the contract period and only sign a contract with an agent once they find you a buyer. There are some agency that don't require you to sign a contract until they find a buyer/seller, which I think is fair.

Answer 5

Where I live you cannot switch agents until your contract with the current agent expires.  In fact you can not even drop your current listing agent and try and sell the place privately until the contract expires.  I have a friend going through this right now.

If your home has been on the market for 4 months it may not be because the agent is not working hard enough.  It may be that you're asking too much for the current market conditions in your area.

Ask you agent just exactly what all she's done so far to get interested buyers and go from there.

I would save your $450, wait until the listing expires and get a new agent.

As far as consequences I would assume the present agent could sue you for breach of contract and try to recover the $450.  Or perhaps she would go  after the commission she might have received had she sold it.  What I suspect is that another agent would not accept a contract with you until the existing one expires.  I think if they "knowingly" did that they might lose their license.  And if they didn't know (because you didn't tell them) then they might also go after you for falsely representing the situation.  Who knows you might end up paying double commission, court costs and penalties!

I would stay clear if I were you.  Seriously take a look at your asking price, the location, the market, and keep in mind that many people are on vacation in the summer time.  Where I live, things pick up in September when families are trying to get their kids back into school and are more anxious to find a place to settle down.  I imagine it's not much different in your region.  Good luck

Answer 6

You will probably want to wait the contract out and then get a new realtor, but I would call and tell her what I was feeling and let her know that I expect her to do more and that you didnt feel she is doing a good enough job.

Answer 7

you can have multiple agents i know that for sure when i was buying my house the 1st real estate agent was not good so i didnt call him anymore and got another 1 and bought my house

Answer 8

Read the contract you signed. That should tell you what your options are.  There maybe legal recourse if you use someone else and you sell through them and the original agent brings someone around only to find out its off the market.  If you can break it you may want to try a ML service or ask the next Realtor what their track record is.

Answer 9

more than one agent is called OPEN LISTING....an agent can sell or you can sell.....whom ever sells the property be it you or an agent only the selling agent would recieve commision where as your most standard agreements would be you pay the listing agent no matter who sells and they split it with the sellng agent